St. Landry democrat., 1887-09-03

comparatively little while; but she, all
day long, governs it, beauties it, sane
titles it. It is within her power to make
it the most attractive place on earth. 1t
is the only calm harbor in this world.
You know as we'll as | do that this out
side world and the business world is a
long scene of jostle and contention.
The man who has dollar strug-
giles to keep it; the man who has
It not struggles to get 1t. Prices
up. Prices down. Losses. Gains. Mis-
representations. Gougings. Undersell-
ing Buyers depreciating: statesmen ex-
aggerating. Tenants seeking less rent:
landlords demanding more. Gold fidg-
ety. Struggles about office. Men who
are in trying to keep in: men out trying
to get in. Slips. Tumbles. Declarations.
Panics. Catastrophes. o, woman thank
God you have home, and that you may
wear Victoria's coronet. Better be there
than carry the purse of princess. Your
abode may be humble, but you can, by
your faith in God, and your cheerfulness
of demeanor, gid it with splendors such
as an upholsterer's hand never yet kin
died. There are abodes in the city
humble, two stories; four plain, unpa-
pered rooms; undesirable neighbour
hood; and yet there is man here
this morning who would die on that
threshold rather than surrender 1t
Why? 1t is home. Whenever he
thinks of it, he sees angels of God hover
ing around it. The ladders Of Heaven
are let down to that house. Over the
child's rough crib there are the chant
ings of angels as those that broke over
Bethlehem. 1t is home. These children
may come up after while, and they
may win high position, and they may
have an attiuent residence; but they
will not until their dying day forget
that humble roof, under which their
father rested and their mother sang and
their sisters played. o, if you would
gather up all tender memories, all the
lights and shades of the heart, all
banquetings and reunions, all tilial,
fraternal, paternal and conjugal atfec
tions, and you had only just four
letters with which to spell out that
height and depth and length and breadth
and magnitude and eternity of meaning,
YOU would, with streaming eyes and
trembling voice and agitated hand, write
it out in those four living capitals
HOME.
What right does woman want that is
grander than to be queen in such
realm? Why, the eagles of Heaven can
not fly across that dominion. Horses,
painting and with lathered TANKS, are not
swift enough to run to the outpost of
that realm. They say that the sun never
sets upon the English empire; but |
have to tell you that on this realm of
woman's influence, eternity never marks
any bound Isabella fled from the Span
ish throne, pursued by the nations
anathema; but she who is queen in a
home will never lose her throne, and
death itself will only be the annexation
of heavenly municipalities.
When you want to get your grandest
idea of queen, you do not think of
Catharine of Russia, or of Anne of Eng
land, or Maria Theresa of Germany; but
when you want to get your grandest idea
of queen, you think of the plain woman
who sat opposite your father at the table,
or walked with him arm in arm down
life's pathway; sometimes to the thanks
giving banquet, sometimes to the grave,
griefs, correcting your childish hayward.
ness, joining in your infantile sports,
listening to your evening prayers, toiling
for you with needle, or at the spinning
wheel, and on cold nights wrapping you
up snug and warm. And then at last on
that day when she lay in the back loom
dying, and you saw her take those thin
hands with which she toiled for you so
long, and put them together in dying
prayer that commended you to the God
whom she had taught you to trust-O, she
was the queen! The chariots of God
came down to fetch her; and as she
went in, all Heaven rose up. You can
not think of her now without a rush Of
tenderness that stirs the deep founda-
tions of your soul, and you feel as much
q child again as when you cried on her
zap; and if you could bring her back
again to speak just once more your
name, as tenderly as she used to speak it.
you would be willing to throw yourself
IN the ground and kiss the sod that COW
ers her, crying: Mother! mother" All!
she was the queen-she was the queen.
Now, can you tell me how many thou
sand miles woman like that would
nave to travel down before she got to the
,allot-box? Compared with this work
If training kings and queens for God
md eternity, how insignificant seems
Ill this work of voting. for alder
nen and common councilmen, and
heriffs, and constables, and mayors, and
presidents To make one such grand |
woman as I have described how many
thousands would you want of those peo-
Die who go in the round of godlessness,
md fashion, and dissipation, distorting
heir BODY until in their mOnstrOsities
hey seem to Guido the dromedary and |
going as far toward dis
,raceful apparel as they dare go, SO as
lot to be arrested of the police-their
Behavior a sorrow to the good and car
cature of the vicious and an insult to |
hat God who made them women and |
lot gorgons; and tramping on, down |
through frivolous and dissi pated life,
O temporal and eternal damnation?
o woman, with the lightning Of your |
oul, strike dead at your feet all these
llurcments to dissipation and to fashion.
our immortal soul cannot be fed upon |
UGH garbage. God calls you up to en-
lire and dominion. Will you have it?
}, give to God your heart; give to Coz
'our best energies; give to God all your
give to God all your refine
nent; give yourself to Him, for this
world and the next Soon all these
bright eyes will be quenched, and these
'oices will be hushed. For the last time
you will look upon this fair earth